Chapter Two – The Single White Rose of Wutai
It was early in the morning, before dawn, when the ninja stalked silently through the quaint little village of Cosmo Canyon. Slinking from wall to wall, she took a moment to gaze fondly at the eternal bonfire in the town's center. It had been a happy time for Yuffie Kisaragi, that night, surrounded by the people she would come to know as comrades and, eventually, friends.
But this was no time for reminiscing. Surely Vincent had acquired some rare new materia since their last encounter. And, surely, he wouldn't mind donating at least one of the orbs to ensure the prosperous future of Wutai. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
Yuffie slinked into Vincent's room. No glowing red eyes; that was her green light. She felt around in the dark, ever so stealthily, until her fingers fell upon the cold frame of the Cerberus. She grinned in the blackness of the room, and let her fingertips caress the smooth grip, then trace the links of chain which would lead her to the materia score. As her hand closed around the orb, she nearly shook with excitement. Before she could pop it from its slot, however, a pair of red eyes flashed open, only inches from her face. She jumped back in surprise, hitting her head on the desk in the corner. "Ouch."
A light came on and Vincent stood still as a tree, squinting harshly at her. "Um, hi, Vince…" The squint grew harder. "-Ent." She knew he didn't care for nicknames. "Hello, Yuffie. I've been expecting you." "Yeah, I can see that." Yuffie laughed nervously as Vincent offered her a hand up. She placed her own hand in his, leaving the other clutching the back of her head where, already, a bump was forming.
Once she was securely on her own feet, Vincent took a step back and glanced down at the materia equipped to the Cerberus.
"I was gonna give it back!" "Hmph." "I was! First thing in the morning." "Which morning?" Yuffie smiled. "You're a quick one, Vincent." "I try."
Yuffie flopped down on his futon, folded her arms behind her head. "So," she said cheerfully. "What do you wanna do today?" Vincent simply looked at her as she lay casually on his bed. She never had any trouble making herself at home, as long as that home belonged to someone else. "I assume you've already got my entire day mapped out for me," he said at last. "Filled to the brim with distractions." "Vincent Valentine," she scolded. "What the heck are you talking about?" He turned sharply on her. "I know you're only here because Nanaki asked to you come." "Red? But he never called me. I called him." "Right." "Actually, I called you a dozen times before I finally tried Tigger." "Hmph." "Check your phone," she insisted.
Vincent pulled the mobile from his pocket and turned it on. A moment later, the alert appeared on the screen. Sixty-two missed calls; twenty-three new voicemails. Sure enough, most of them were from Yuffie, including the last dozen or so. "Why do you even have that thing if you're never going to answer it? You're worse than Cloud!" Vincent snapped the phone shut and slid it into a pouch on his belt, leaving it turned on this time. "Alright, Yuffie. You win. Where are we going?" Yuffie beamed at him.
"Well!" she exclaimed, raising her index finger in the air. "First, I'm going to get some sleep!" With that, she rolled over and curled up on Vincent's futon. She peeked up at him with one eye and flinched at his cold gaze. "Hey, don't look at me like that, Mister Sinister! I came all the way from Edge!" "Edge isn't that far, Yuffie." She didn't respond. Vincent watched her for a moment, wishing sleep came as easily for him. He holstered Cerberus, and left Yuffie to rest.
Sleep wasn't a major concern for Vincent Valentine since Hojo's tampering. He headed through the village, toward the forest beyond. Might as well get some training in before she wakes up, he thought to himself. Somehow, he wasn't as irritated as he'd expected to be with the young ninja. He remembered how she'd saved him after his would-be fatal encounter with Rosso the Crimson. Everybody had come through for him, just as he had for them in the past. That was how friendship worked. Yet something about that caused a strange melancholy to build up within him.
When he returned, Yuffie was still asleep. He stepped quietly past her and knelt beside the lockbox where his materia was stored. It was a minor sprain; Cure would take away the soreness of it. "Vince?" came a sleepy voice from behind. He turned his head, still crouched beside the box. "You're hurt." "It's nothing," he mumbled, locking the box back up before rising. "Are you getting up now?" he asked impassively. "Yeah, I guess so."
At some point while he'd been out, she'd removed her socks and shoes and dispersed them around the room at random. "Where's my other sock?" she whined, crawling on hands and knees across the hard wooden floor. Vincent spotted the wadded up white ball and bent down for it. Yuffie snatched it up before he could reach it, an awkward smile on her youthful face. "Like I said, I walked all the way from Edge. Do you guys have, like, a laundromat around here?" Vincent shook his head. "What? That's barbaric! How do you wash your clothes?" "In Bugenhagen's washing machine." "Oh." "I'm sure Nanaki wouldn't mind." "Good. I'll ask him tonight." "Tonight? How long are you staying?" She shrugged. "As long as I feel like it." "Oh." "Alright, I'm ready. Let's head out!" "Where are we going?" "Nanaki said we could go down to the caverns." "What for?" "For materia, of course! Cloud just rushed us right through, without even looking. I bet there's a ton of materia just lying around down there. I've been dying to go back!" "Yuffie…" "What's wrong, Vince? Scared of a few ghosts?" "No, but… as I recall, you are." "Hey, I'm a lot older now, y'know!" "Very well, Yuffie. Whenever you're ready."
She would never admit it, but the moment they reached the underground haunt, Yuffie could feel a cold sweat breaking on the back of her neck. Vincent seemed unaffected by the strong presence of the spirits dwelling in this place. She, on the other hand, was nearly petrified.
Wanting to appear brave in front of the fearless Vincent Valentine, she marched forward, flinching occasionally at the unexplainable noises in the caverns. A low moan up ahead made her freeze and drop into a crouch. Vincent's tattered cape brushed against her arm then and when she looked up, he was standing over her. "Are you certain you're alright?" She rose quickly and did her signature air-punch maneuver a few times. "Of course I'm certain. This place is no problem for Yuffie Kisaragi, single white rose of Wutai!" Vincent grunted and began walking again.
Deeper within the caves, however, Yuffie's imagination was getting the better of her. She was all but crawling on hands and knees at this point, flinching and ducking at every little noise. When the ghosts did materialize, however, she faced them fearlessly. It made no sense to Vincent, but he knew better than to attempt to rationalize Yuffie's behavior. And so, he walked silently beside her, occasionally tolerating her clinging to his arm for security.
The materia hunt wasn't much of a success, after all. Yuffie had taken a wrong step into a crack in the rock formation and twisted her ankle, and Vincent had to carry her back to the surface. "You know," he said as he set her down on a crate when they reached the top of the ladder. "For a ninja, you're pretty clumsy." She stuck her tongue out at him as he sealed the door. "I just wish I could've found some materia." "Hmm. Indeed." "Thanks, Vincent." "Hmm?" "For carrying me." "What choice did I have? Now hold still." He produced the Cure materia from his pocket. "What the – hey, you had that all along!" "Of course." "Why didn't you use it before? We could've stayed longer." He didn't respond. "Oh, I get it. Party pooper." "How's the ankle?" Yuffie stood and rotated her foot in a circle a few times. "Perfect!" "Good." "So, how about lunch?" "Very well." "Not here, though. This place is booooring!" "Then where do you suggest?" "Someplace a girl can get a drink. Hey! How about Tifa's bar?"
Vincent crossed his arms. "You want to go back to Edge just for lunch?" "Well… I thought maybe we could hang out there for a couple days." "Why?" Yuffie looked guilty. "I thought… you might like to see some of your friends." Vincent turned his back to her. "So, I was right. You are here at Nanaki's request." "I said I wasn't," Yuffie retorted stubbornly, "and I meant it." Vincent sighed. "I don't need this, Yuffie. I refuse to be a charity case." "Vincent Valentine," she said sternly, "Did it ever occur to you that I'm here because I want to be? Or that your friends miss you? How many voicemails did you have on your phone besides mine?" He turned then. "I'm sorry," he said gently. Yuffie's face softened. "It's okay, Vince. So, will you come with me?" He nodded. "To make it up to you. All of you." "Not because you want to?" Vincent was torn between the comfort of his privacy and the suddenly very strong desire to see his friends. He had to admit, he missed the old days when they all traveled together, relied on one another. "And because I want to go," he said, nodding. "Honest?" "To a fault." "That's not entirely accurate," she said, indicating the materia, still in his hand. He pocketed it quickly and forced a thin smile. "Let's go." Yuffie let out a whoop and tore down the path ahead of him.
It was a slow ride to Edge. The chocobo they'd borrowed in Cosmo Canyon was old and unwilling to run for any measurable distance. "Can't this damn bird move any faster?" Yuffie complained. "Yuffie, you're yelling in my ear." "Oops, sorry, Vince. But, seriously, what's up with this slow-poke?" "The elders in Cosmo Canyon don't have much need for racing chocobos," Vincent mused. "Huh," Yuffie returned thoughtfully. "I never thought of that. I knew we should've rented a car."
Just then, the chocobo balked at something. Vincent sat like a statue, his head cocked to one side, listening. "What is it, Vince?" Yuffie whispered hoarsly. He didn't answer and, instead, slid off the chocobo in a fluid movement that caught Yuffie off guard. "Hey, where are you going?" The chocobo stamped anxiously; only its age and obedient nature kept it from bolting. "Get down, Yuffie, and don't let the chocobo run off." "But what is it?" she demanded. "I don't know yet. Stay here." "Vince, don't leave me with this stupid bird How do you expect me to defend myself if I have to hold onto this thing!" She pulled her shuriken free with her spare hand and squinted into the trees. "I won't let you out of my sight," Vincent promised before transforming into a strange swirling form and vanishing into the forest.
Yuffie stood with the chocobo reins in one hand and her weapon in the other. The chocobo fidgeted uneasily and pressed its beak against her face. "It's okay," she whispered. "Just take it easy, big fella." She glanced around.
A moment later, Vincent stepped out from the tree line, Cerberus already holstered. Yuffie questioned him with her eyes. He shrugged. "Whatever it was, it's gone now." He hopped lightly back onto the chocobo and hauled Yuffie up after him. "You didn't see anything?" she asked uneasily. Vincent shook his head. "The chocobo's calmed down, as well," he said. Suddenly Yuffie threw a mild punch into Vincent's arm. "Dammit, Vince, you said you wouldn't let me out of your sight! Next time you go wondering into the woods, I'm going with you!" Vincent shrugged. "As you wish. Shall we continue?" "Fine." "By the way," he added cooly, "this chocobo is female." "Huh?" "Generally, you wouldn't refer to a female as 'fella.'" Yuffie smiled and rested her forehead against Vincent's back. "Let's keep going, smart guy," she said.